Power control



June 4, 1935. P. w. EELLS 2,003,351

POWER CONTROL Filed Feb. 28, 1931 2 sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS June 4, 3935, R W, EELLS 2,003,351

POWER coNiiRoL Filed Feb. 28, 1931 2 Sheets-Shn-"A-ail 2 VENTOR MZ ad Mmym' ATTORNEYS Patented June 4, 1935 A UNITEDl STATES 'PATENT OFFICE PQWEB CONTROL raul w. nous, weer Aun, wu., assigner to Le Roi Company, West Allis, Wis., a corporation oi Wisconsin Application Februar-y 2s, 1931, semi No. tracce This invention relates to improvements in power controls.

The particular apparatus illustrated in the .control mechanism capable notislene of regulatlng the rate of operation of the internati combustion engine from which power is derived, but ce= pablo also ci operating the clutch and broke de vices of one or any number of power units in synchronism :from o remote point. ln referring to the synchronous operation ci the controls, I refer not merely to the manipulation oi identical clutches or hralre mechanisms in e, plurality of units, out to theproperly timed operation of clutches und breites ine single unit to produce the desired eect on the power output,

More speeicellystetecl, it is my purpose to employ for come purposes o pneumatic control work over orly other type of control.

l 'i also seele to consolidate mechanical, uid ond electrical controls in' e, single unit end to provide o control unit portable independently of the newer unit end. connected thereto only by exlole power transmission lines and lines which ere adopted for synchronous control of miutlple units.

A urtiier ohjective'oi the invention is to srthe orwerd end reverse clutch mechanisms end the croire mechanism in such e.. wey that the clutch mechanisms will he sii-plied by power and the broke mechanism maintained inoneretive lily power, so that in the event of any failure in the oir supply the broke eutometicelly he engeged as the clutches become released, thereby" ports in perspective, of en organization employing two such units es are illustrated in Figs. l end 2.

qiliigure c is on enlarged frsgmentery detail, por tielly" in elevation ond pertiolly. in vertical axial section, oi o clutch device embodying this invention.

' Figure 5 is en enlarged fragmentary detail in end elevotion, of :a orake device forming a port @ne me@ u. :u benin illustrated.

rigore o is o diagrammatic illustration in sectlonloi e valve organization capable of handling the pneumstic lines to the several pieces of Vcontrol niecloe l W sus, which loes importent edvonteges in this.

Like paris are identilied by the) same reference characters throughout the several views.

Each o1' the power units herein disclosed comprises a sled-like loose l which may be pulled over the ground from place to place in order to permit of the disposition of one or several units as required tor any given operation. Upon the bese l' is assembled e' complete power .plant including an engine i with e. cooling system 9, i nition system lu, ond e pneumatic system including compressor ,il and tank l2. The power output shalt lof eech engine leeds to a. transmission unit 'lt mounted upon the seme base. This unit may loe of any conventional design for Vany required change of'speed or reverse.

For the purposes ci the present invention it m sumclent to designate clutches il and I8 as 'forward and reversing clutches respectively. miese clutches :may 4loe oi the conventional disk type operated es shown in Fig. 4, by e shipping lever l@ which is connected by link it with the rod ill oi e, piston 222 operating in a cylinder '23. The outwerrlmoveinent or" piston 22 for engaging clutch il', (or clutch le) is opposed by com- `ofession springs tl which ect upon a cross heed corrieri ley rod 2 i The arrangement described is suchtlnt pressure communicated to cylinder 33 through pipe 2d will force the piston outwardly ege-inst the pressure of springs 2li and engage the clutch. Upon relief of pressure on pipe 25, tere springs $.13 ore cepeble of releesingthe clutch.

The output elicit 3@ of each unit is provided o lirolre which may lie of the type illustrated in Li'ig. 5, ilncluding o -ilrum Si end s, band 32 which is anchored et end has e lever 3d for its free ends together upon the drum. The lever is uicrumeri upon one oi.' the ends of the hond sind connected ley link to the other. i tension spring acts upon lever in s direction to spply the breite. Rotation of shaft is poible whenever pressure supplied through pipe to cylinder. S3 sets on piston Si? and rod to iit the free end of lever il!! against the tension oi spring v Where two or more units ere used together they src pulled on their sled-like losses l to edjeicent Arittens where they may he braced by the struts dit Their respective shafts @il are then. suitololy connected icy e chain or belt :l2 end power is token from either of shafts fic for the desired purposes.

ln Figs. l and 2li have represented et te e reruote control slant-ion herring valve mechanism et @il for o clutchend croire control, a cable drum .et f-'il' for ee throttle control, and a switch panel at il@ for ignition and starting-motor control.

Although e. single vulve lnechanism can readily he deiled for controhint, the broke and the several clutches, I have chosen, for convenience of illustration, to show each valve separately.

An air supply line leads from tank I2 to the center of each of the valve casings 5l, 52, and 53, and communicates with central ducts 54 in each of the several valve plugs 55, 55, and 51. A radial duct in each plug is registerable with the outlet port from the respective casing. 'I'he outlet ports of casings 5i and 53 lead to air lines 58 and 59 respectively, while casing 52 has a set of spaced ports both of which lead to the air line 60, which may thus be put under pressure in either of two positions of the plug 56.

For the relief of pressure in the respective lines, the plugs have passages 5| and 52 adapted in all inoperative positions of the plug to afford communication between the air lines and the vent ports 53.

For convenience of manipulation, the several plugs are preferably -provided with like arms 65 connected by a link 66 which is fastened by a second link 61 to a yreciprocable and rotatable shaft lihaving a hand wheel 69. When this shaft is reciprocated itoscillates the several valve plugs simultaneously between the extreme position indicated in Fig. 6, in which the air supply line communicates with pressure line' 59, and another extreme position in which the air supply line communicatesthrough plug 4with 'pressure line 58. g

In both of these extreme positions of the several plugs, the pressure line will be in communication with the air supply line 50 through plug 55. In all intermediate positions of the several valve plugsthe pressure in lines 58 and 59 will be relieved, and in the central position the pressure in line 50 will be relieved.

Line 58 leads to the reverse clutch of .each unit. If there is a plurality of units the air line 58 is forked as shown in- Fig. 3. Similarly, air line 59 leads to the forward clutch of each unit. Thus, regardless of how many units are involved, corresponding clutches of each of them will re ceive pressure from the same source at the same time through a single valve.

Similarly, the pressure line 50 leads to the air control cylinders of the brake mechanisms of each unit, so that whether there is one unit or several, each brake will be operated synchronously with each other brake, and necessarily will' take effect only when the clutches are disengaged either fthrough proper manipulation of the valve members, or through failure of the air supply.

While a reciprocatory motion ,of shaft 68 operates the valves as above described, it will be obvious that a rotary motion of such shaft will turn drum 4T which is carried thereby. The control cable 10 which passes about said drum with one or more turns, leads to similar drums or pulleys 1I which are mounted on shafts 12 connected to the carburetor throttle arms 13 of the respective engines. Thus, the rate of engine operation, the direction of delivery of its power output, and the operation of its brake, are all subject to control from a remote point together with the cor' responding functions of other units which may be connected to it as described.

The ignition and starting controls correspond to those in general practice, except that the current is carried through a flexible cable l5 to the panel 48, where a single starting switch 'I5 and a single ignition switch 1l may care for the respective startingandignition circuits of any number of power units as herein disclosed.

It will be obvious that each control is flexible in the sense that the control station 45 may be located at any desired point with reference to the power units subject thereto. This is very important in the case of a portable power unit, the position of which must be adapted to conditions existing at each location in which it is used. Each control system is further adapted to regulate the operation of more than one unit, and this also is an important feature because of the fact that in one installation a power unit may be used alone, while in its next operation it may be coupled to other similar units.

I claim:

' l. The combinationwith a plurality of power and transmission units having individual shaft controls and power delivery shafts coupled together, of an independently portable remote control station, land means at said station provided with power transmitting connections for the synchronous operation of the controls ofthe several units.

. 2. 'I'hecombination with a plurality of portable power and transmission units having output shafts, clutch means controlling said shafts, engine speed regulators, and electrical control, of a single independently portable remote control station provided with means including power transmitting connections for the manipulation of the clutches, regulators, and electrical con trols oi the several units.

3. The combination with portable power unit including a prime mover and a transmission device, of a regulator for said prime mover, a control for said transmission, and an electrical control for said prime mover, of an independently portable remote control station provided with means including power transmitting connections for the manipulation of said regulator, said transmission control, and said electrical control.

. 4. The combination with a plurality of port able power units each including a prime mover and a transmissiondevice, of an individual regu lator for each prime mover, a control for each transmission, and an electrical control for each trol for said transmission, and an electrical control for said prime mover, of an independently. portable remote control station provided with means including power transmitting cpnnections for the manipulation .of said regulator, power transmitting connections for the manipulation oi' said transmission control, and power transmitting connections for the manipulation of said electrical control.

n PAUL w. man.

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